A 30-YEAR-OLD Dunfermline man with a long record of shoplifting got into further trouble by racially-abusing two strangers in the street.

Stuart Duncan was jailed when he appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

Duncan, of James Bank Hostel, admitted a series of offences previously.

One of the shoplifting hauls saw him steal goods worth more than £300 in a trolley.

On October 23, 2019, at Tesco, Aberdour Road, he stole five bottles of washing-up liquid and seven packets of meat.

On October 26, 201,9 at the same store, he stole four bottles of fabric conditioner, four bottles of laundry detergent, three bottles of dishwashing liquid, seven packets of coffee and 20 packets of meat.

On April 14 last year, at Tesco, Winterthur Lane, Dunfermline, he stole a quantity of food items.

On July 14 last year, at Woodmill Crescent, he acted in a racially-aggravated manner towards two people by making derogatory remarks about their nationality.

Depute fiscal Laura McManus said the couple, complete strangers to Duncan, had arrived in Woodmill Crescent by car.

As the woman got out of the vehicle, Duncan approached her. The man told him to stay away from them.

Duncan responded by calling the man an “English p****” and the woman a “Paki”.

Defence solicitor Alexander Flett said: “He shouldn’t have reacted how he did and was under the influence at the time. He has a long-standing drugs issue.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown told Duncan: “You’ve been committing theft by shoplifting for a very long time. Everything has been tried with you. You then compound matters by committing a hate crime.”

Duncan was jailed for 12 months.